Crooked Leg
by DannyIsMyBoi
Summary: (One Shot) It was bound to happen eventually - one night, Valerie gets hurt. Badly. She's too concussed to refuse when a well-meaning bystander calls an ambulance so she is carted off the the emergency room, bleeding everywhere, only to find the last person she expected sitting in one of the plastic waiting chairs with his leg bent at a crooked angle (DanPhanWritingPrompts).


**Heyy!** **Here's a one shot based off of DanPhanWritingPrompts! Rated T for minor language. Crossposted on tumblr and AO3. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: It was bound to happen eventually - one night, Valerie gets hurt. Badly. She's too concussed to refuse when a well-meaning bystander calls an ambulance so she is carted off the the emergency room, bleeding everywhere, only to find the last person she expected sitting in one of the plastic waiting chairs with his leg bent at a crooked angle and a bloody jacket wrapped around his shoulder.**

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The light was blinding.

It took her a couple of blinks for her eyes to adjust to the lighting. She was laying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. White rectangular panels sat above her, with the occasional rectangular panel of light. This wasn't her usual ceiling. The ceiling in her room had a rough, bumpy texture with a single light bulb in the center.

That's when she realized she wasn't home.

Having finally teared her gaze away from the ceiling, she craned her head to search her surroundings, although it was quite difficult with the dull ache that resonated within her being. The walls were painted a drab white, matching that of the ceiling. A single painting hung on one wall, displaying a vibrant patch of lavender flowers. On the other wall was a large window, blocked by a pair of folding blinds. The moonlight shone through the crevices, hinting that it was nighttime.

Next to the window sat an unrecognizable figure. All she could see of them was their jagged black hair and torn dark blue jacket. Their head was swung down and arms crossed, as if they were asleep.

She now realized where she was.

Laying down in the hospital bed and surrounded by bleak walls, a growing panic began to settle at the bottom of her stomach. What was she doing there? What happened for her to be in the hospital? Who was sitting in the plastic chair next to her? Hadn't she been careful…

She turned her head away from the stranger. If they were awake, they didn't need to witness the tears piling in her eyes. She knew she needed to be strong, but it was difficult considering the multiple consequences she might encounter. She wasn't afraid of what injury she may have sustained… _but of what her dad would say. _

He disapproved of her activities and made her promise that she wouldn't continue. But one measly promise wasn't going to stop her from fulfilling her duties. The town needed her, but they blindly put their trust and faith in the iconic Phantom. Why couldn't they see that it was all a facade? He was luring them into his trap and sooner or later, Amity is going to have to deal with the consequences. She couldn't let that happen as long as she was around. So she made it her mission to bring down Phantom once and for all.

Her dad didn't understand. He too was deceived by the supposedly 'innocent and helpful ghost'. She wanted to prove him wrong. Prove that she had a purpose and this was it.

Only, all her plans were beginning to crash down. And she couldn't remember _why_.

Why was she _here_? Last she recalled… fighting with Phantom. Soaring through the air on her hoverboard, she attempted to blast him to smithereens and possibly capture him. But what happened after?

Frustrated over her sudden retrograde amnesia, she gradually propped herself up with her left arm to finally get a good look at herself. _Everything stung._ It was like an explosion of agony all throughout her body. But she suffered through it, grunting at the horrible pain she was enduring. Once she could see her feet, she stopped moving. The pain continued to resonate within.

Removing the white blanket that sat upon her, she found herself dressed in a light green cotton hospital gown. The only immediate sign of injury was the large, thick cast wrapped around her right arm. So she broke her arm… but why did her _entire_ body ache? Skimming her legs, small scratches criss crossed her dark skin, with the occasional large cut concealed behind a bandage. Several wires ran from her body to machines, monitoring her body functions.

"Hey. You awake?"

Valerie turned at the sudden voice from the stranger, recognizing the voice instantly. His black bangs shadowed his eyes, giving his crystal blue irises a hollow appearance. His jacket, if one could call it that after its damage, was torn in several places, revealing his usual white tee, which was also as ravaged as his jacket. Why hadn't she realized it was him sooner? With her usual keen vision, she should've. _What was wrong with her?_

"Are you feeling alright?" Danny Fenton asked. His arms still sat crossed over his chest.

"Why am I here?" She quickly demanded instead of answering his question. It hurt to talk. If her dad wasn't here yet, maybe she could escape before he discovered her situation. She'd have to hide her arm, but an oversized sweater would do the trick.

"Calm down…" he said with his hands out in front of him as a sign of mercy. Suddenly he shifted his gaze to the tiled floor. "Look, I don't know what happened, but I saw you… uh injured, and had to call the ambulance." He said rubbing his neck with his right arm. She recognized this action, as it was one he often displayed when lying to their teachers during school when asked why he was late.

"_Clearly_ you know what happened if you can't even look me in the eyes." she deadpanned. She needed to know exactly why she was here, and this boy was the only way she could get her information.

"Val, _I don't know._" He said looking straight at her with pleading eyes. That's when she noticed the stains on his jacket.

They were hard to instantly recognize, but they were there. Trails of red and the smallest splatters of bright green drenched his destroyed jacket. Upon noticing her staring, he hikes his jacket back onto his shoulder, fiddling with it nervously.

"You never answered my question. Are you alright?" He said now tugging at his jacket with his eyes cast downward. He looked like shit, especially with the large scar that ran down his cheek. Something told her that whatever had happened to her, he was involved in it too.

"Everything… _hurts._" she finally croaked.

"I'm sorry. Although I don't know what happened, I'm sorry for whoever or whatever did this to you." He genuinely looked sympathetic, however, something about his presence reflected that he was lying to her. "But _you _should've been more careful." That last sentence threw her off.

"_Me?! _You're blaming _me?!_" she shouted while she used her free hand to point at herself. What did he know about saving Amity? Being a ghost hunter? Then again his parents were ghost hunters. Plus he didn't know about her _'activities'_.

"What? No…" he trailed off shifting in his seat, grimacing at the movement. "I'm just saying whatever mess you got into, you should've been more careful. If I hadn't found you, _who knows _what condition you could've been in." he said shrugging.

"But… I don't remember what happened." She said, shifting her gaze to her feet. She _absolutely hated_ being confused. If she wasn't in control, she didn't feel herself. She felt, _purposeless._

"I-" he stopped to look at her and then look away shaking his head, as if conflicted on whether he should say something. "I-I should get going. I only stayed to make sure you were safe." He said quickly grabbing the handles of the chair he sat in.

"Wait!" she said with her non injured arm stretched out. Standing halfway in his seat, he sat back down with an raised eyebrow. "Does- does, my dad know?" She couldn't have her dad yelling at her. She didn't want to disappoint him _again_.

"I called him several times. He didn't pick up. The hospital should be trying to reach him right now." he said in a hasty voice.

"No! I mean… don't tell him. Please." she begged him. Her green eyes were becoming glossy with the thought of her dad's face once he found out she was hunting again. She couldn't believe that she was tearing up in front of her classmate.

"Val, you know I can't do that. He deserves to know."

"No. You don't understand. If-if he finds me here, I'm going to be in so much trouble." she urged him to feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her situation.

"That's not a good idea-"

"You know what's _not _a good idea?! Finding your daughter in the hospital… please Danny,_ I'm begging you…_" She interrupted him with tears piling in her eyes, threatening to fall. She was ready to get on her knees and beg if that's what it had to come to.

He sighed, contemplating what decision was most appropriate. "I'll try my best." he said after a moment, rubbing his forehead in regret.

"Thanks Danny…" she said as she watched him stand up. He was teetering as he stood, clearly unbalanced. All his weight was shifted on his right leg.

Once he left, she was going to escape. She couldn't risk the hospital contacting her dad. She felt good enough to walk herself home, although it was going to be one painful walk. She took her blanket and covered herself back up, trying to convince Danny that she was going to rest some more.

"Now-" His head suddenly jerked towards the door, only to turn back to her. "-now get some sleep." he said somewhat hurriedly with a lopsided grin. Grabbing his backpack off the floor, he limped his way to the door.

"Danny, you don't look too good. Are you limping?" she asked worriedly, scrunching her nose. Was he that hurt? Why was he hurt? That's when she noticed the crooked angle his left leg stood, almost to the side of his entire leg.

"I'm _fine_. Go back to bed." he said, stressing the fine with a forced smile. She didn't want to question him, although everything within her told her to. He might not adhere to his promise if she were to piss him off.

Slumping back down in her bed, she heard him mumbling something, although it was too soft to understand. That's when his footsteps stopped. Glancing over her covers, she saw him standing stock still.

"_Fuck_." he muttered said and looked back at her. She looked at him questioningly. The door knob began to jiggle.

Danny ran towards the light switch, turning them off and looking back at her with wide eyes. Through the dark, she could barely make out his shape. He placed a finger on his lips, displaying the universal sign for quiet.

The door swung open quietly. Behind it stood a petite nurse with a clipboard in hand. The nurse, dressed in orange scrubs, flicked the light switch on. Valerie looked at the nurse with wide eyes. Shocked not only by her sudden appearance, but by the _disappearance_ of a certain raven haired boy. It was as if the air had swallowed him, but surely that hadn't been the case. Was she imagining it all? Under the covers she pinched herself.

_Nope_, it was all reality.

"Ms. Gray? How are you feeling?" The nurse said with a sweet tone. She couldn't have been older than 30. Her blonde locks bounced as she made her way towards Valerie. Her eyes darted between the nurse and the spot Danny had just been seen. The nurse didn't seem to suspect Valerie's unusual behavior.

"G-good." Valerie stuttered. She finally came to the conclusion that something was wrong with Danny, but she couldn't place a finger on it. All the signs pointed back to him, whether it being the lying or his disheveled appearance. The gears in her mind were trying their best to put the puzzle pieces together, but it all felt like a jumbled mess.

"That's great to hear! You're lucky a bystander called, and very lucky that you weren't hurt too badly. I'm Mrs. Taylor by the way. I'll be checking your vitals and then notifying the doctor that you're awake. How does that sound?" she said cheerfully as she scribbled something on her clipboard, glancing up occasionally at the monitor that displayed Valerie's heart rate and other vital signs.

"Alright…" Valerie said somewhat unsurely. Her eyes trailed back to the spot where Danny was. Why couldn't she comprehend what had just happened? It _frustrated_ her to know that the answer to her situation laid right before her a minute ago, unless her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Ok. I will let the doctor know you're awake. He should here shortly." said the nurse with a nod and a wide, toothy smile before turning on her heel to exit the room. Valerie still lay in her bed, shocked and utterly confused.

That's when a figure popped back into her vision, making the African American girl jump in her hospital bed and unleash a small shriek. It was so _unlike_ her to jump at the smallest noise, however, she wasn't on her game today, which bothered her so much.

Within a second, Danny stood before her with his hand over her mouth. She tried to make a noise, but his hand muffled whatever sound she produced. "_Shhh._ I- I'll explain…" he said as he slowly removed his hand. His sky blue eyes darted around nervously, as if searching for someone or something that was watching them.

"I don't know what's going on." Valerie blurted. This sudden declaration of weakness was unlike her, but she had to get a grip of the situation.

"I'm _not supposed_ to be here. I promise I'll explain it tomorrow. For now… " he trailed off, digging into the pocket of his soiled jeans and producing a brown wallet. Shifting through its contents, he took out a 20 dollar bill. "Here's your cab fare to get back home. Get dressed and leave, just make sure the hospital staff dont notice you. Don't worry about the cameras or the hospital bill, I've taken care of them. I'm sorry, but _I have to go_." he said as he shakily handed her the bill and shoved the wallet back into his jeans pocket. He shoes scuffed against the tiled floor as he slowly backed away.

"Danny are you-"

"Val please, _don't question it._ Just do as I say and I'll see you tomorrow." He said turning away from her and towards the window. He stopped and sighed for a moment. Turning just his head back to her, staring directly into her eyes.

Only _his_ eyes burned a violent neon green, other than their usual baby blue. Were her eyes deceiving her? Was she hallucinating? Staring intently at the disordered boy, then only did she realize where she had seen those eyes before. _Whose eyes those belonged to._

She wasn't dreaming.

"_I'm sorry_." he whispered.

With the blink of an eye, he vanished once again, leaving the injured girl awestruck.

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**AN: Did you like it? Let me know what you think. I'm considering continuing it. **


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